Harold Shumate Movies
Active from 1924, American screenwriter Harold Shumate penned such jazz-age efforts as Bare Knees (1928), The Chorus Kid (1928), and The Careless Age (1929). Shumate also served as producer of River Woman (1928), a better-than-average Poverty Row melodrama from Gotham Studios. From 1932 to 1939, he was a principal writer of Columbia's B-picture output. His later credits included Columbia's Man With Nine Lives, Republic's Man of Conquest, and Universal's Charlie McCarthy, Detective, all produced between 1939 and 1940. Associated with RKO Radio at the close of his career, Harold Shumate retired after working on the script of RKO's The Half-Breed (1951). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1959
Howard Duff guest-stars as Sam Clemens, who in the days before his fame and fortune as "Mark Twain" could be found working as a reporter on the Virginia City Enterprise. The Cartwrights come to Clemens' assistance when the young journalist endeavors to expose an illegal collusion between Judge Yerrington (John Litel) and a powerful railroad executive. Featured in the cast are Dorothy Green as Minnie andAnn Whitfield as Rosemary. Written by Harold Shumate and first broadcast October 10, 1959, "Enter Mark Twain" might prove an interesting comparison to the 1972 Bonanza episode "The 26th Grave," in which Sam Clemens is also a central character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1954
When equestrian Linda (Vera Miles) talks her trainer, Jim (Lloyd Bridges), into taking care of Gypsy Prince, her horse, Jim decides to enter the steed in an upcoming race. Tragically, the horse falls mid-race and breaks a leg. Though prospects look bleak, Linda (Miles) refuses to give up on her horse, and will not allow the animal to be destroyed. Rather, she chooses to focus on physical therapy and personal faith. Her loyalty is rewarded tenfold when Gypsy Prince, successfully retrained, makes a killing a the track. Directed by William Beaudine, Pride of the Bluegrass is based on a story by Harold Shumate, and also features Margaret Sheridan, Arthur Shields, and Michael Chapin. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, Vera Miles, (more)
- 1951
Ninety per cent of Little Big Horn takes place before Custer's Last Stand; thus, the emphasis is on character and suspense rather than spectacle (just as well, since spectacle was well out of the range of parsimonious Lippert Studios). Lloyd Bridges heads a small band of cavalrymen who desperately try to reach the Little Big Horn in time to warn Custer of a Sioux ambush. One by one, the men are picked off by Indian sharpshooters. The only survivors are Bridges and John Ireland, longtime enemies who may very well knock each other off before ever getting to Custer. Little Big Horn was the first directorial assignment for western-writer Charles Marquis Warren. It was hardly the last: Warren would later be one of the most prolific contributors to the Gunsmoke TV series of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lloyd Bridges, John Ireland, (more)
- 1951
One of only five films directed by Academy Award-nominated editor Stuart Gilmore, this 1951 Western stars Robert Young as Dan Craig, a gambler who may be the only man who can stop a war between a tribe of Native Americans and a group of white settlers. Shortly after the U.S. Civil War, Frank Crawford (Reed Hadley), a crooked politician, concocts a scheme to pillage the vast quantities of gold present on Apache tribal land. If Crawford can incite a war, he can clear the Apaches from the area and the gold will be his. Luckily Craig steps in, and with the help of Charlie Wolf (Jack Buetel), a half-Apache, helps prevent the tribe members from playing into Crawford's plan. But when Wolf's sister is murdered, he can no longer resist the urge to rise up, leaving Craig as the only one to avert a disastrous battle. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Janis Carter, (more)
- 1951
Mona Freeman plays Bonnie Lee, who is--surprise!--not the Lady from Texas in this well-constructed Universal western. A lowly kitchen helper at a large ranch, Bonnie seeks the aid of self-styled do-gooder Dan Mason (Howard Duff). It seems that Bonnie's elderly friend Miss Birdie (Josephine Hull) is in danger of being victimized by villains Cyril and Mabel Guthrie (Craig Stevens, Barbara Knudson). Mason is reluctant to help out until he gets to know Miss Birdie, a feisty Civil War widow who refuses to believe that her husband has been dead these 20 years. Guthrie tries to have Miss Birdie declared incompetent so that he can claim her land, but Mason isn't about to let that happen. Thus it is that Josephine Hull, fresh from her Oscar win for Harvey, is the titular Lady From Texas, even though she's contractually consigned to third billing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Duff, Mona Freeman, (more)
- 1950
The Buccaneer's Girl of the title, played by Yvonne de Carlo, is Deborah McCoy, an entertainer who's been around a bit. While visiting New Orleans, Deborah falls in love with aristocratic Frederick Baptiste (Philip Friend), who turns out to be a pirate. Baptiste is basically a decent fellow: his piracy is aimed exclusively at the crooked shipowner who destroyed his father. Deborah is a bit more mercenary, hoping to marry into wealth by posing as a high-born lady. By the seventh reel, however, she's perfectly content to settle down with the raffish Baptiste. Though played tongue-in-cheek, Buccaneer's Girl never resorts to "camp": it invites the audience to laugh with the film, rather than at it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvonne De Carlo, Phillip Friend, (more)
- 1950
Joel McCrea was still relatively new to westerns when he starred in Saddle Tramp. McCrea is cast as footloose and fancy free cowpoke Chuck Connor, who has no intention of settling down. Alas, this decision is made for him when Connor "inherits" the four recently orphaned sons of his best friend. Since his pal died while riding Connor's horse, Our Hero feels obligated to raise the kids as his own -- and it's not gonna be easy. Connor's brood is increased to five when they're joined by runaway gamine Della (Wanda Hendrix). Additional complications include Connor's kid-hating rancher boss (John McIntire), a crooked foreman (John Russell), and an ongoing blood feud. The song "The Cry of the Wild Goose" popularized by Frankie Laine, is heard throughout Saddle Tramp as the restless Joel McCrea's leitmotif. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Wanda Hendrix, (more)
- 1946
Dan Mitchell (Randolph Scott) is the town marshal of Abilene, KS, in the turbulent years after the Civil War and the start of the big cattle drives out of Texas. The town is growing faster than a lot of citizens are prepared to deal with it, especially as homesteaders start moving in, fighting for space with the cattlemen. Dan has kept the peace, such as it is, by keeping the saloons, gambling, and guns on one side of Main Street and the shop-owners, farmers, women, and children on the other. He's also been walking a tightrope in his own life, conducting a sometimes turbulent romance with Rita (Ann Dvorak), a saloon singer and co-owner, while also not discouraging the attentions of Sherry Balder (Rhonda Fleming), the "nice girl" daughter of one of the town's leading businessmen, who would love to marry Dan if only he would settle down. A new wave of homesteaders is arriving, and the cattlemen, cowboys, and saloon owners want them driven out and the town kept wide open, fearing the homesteaders' religious beliefs and the arrival of families, which means schools, building, and encroaching "respectability." Trouble breaks out and people are killed, with Dan caught in the middle. Using his guile and a good deal of bravery, and the unwitting help from the cowardly county sheriff (Edgar Buchanan), Dan manages to get the shop owners onto the side of the homesteaders, and plays a dangerous game of divide-and-conquer with the saloon-keepers and cowboys. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Helen Boyce, (more)
- 1946
Whenever budget-conscious Columbia laid out good money for Technicolor in the 1940s, it was usually for a musical or an "A" western. Renegades falls into the latter category. Fresh from The Jolson Story, Larry Parks stars as the son of a notorious, Scripture-spouting outlaw (Edgar Buchanan). Parks tries to go straight, but eventually succumbs to expectations and becomes a renegade along with his father and brothers. Willard Parker is the peaceable town doctor who guns down Parks in the climax, while Evelyn Keyes is the leading lady, who insists upon finding Parks fascinating despite of (or maybe because of) his reputation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willard Parker, Larry Parks, (more)
Like several other Harry Sherman Productions of the 1942-43 season, The Kansan was originally slated for a Paramount release, then redirected to United Artists. Richard Dix and Jane Wyatt, stars of the previous Sherman effort Buckskin Frontier, are reunited herein as western lawman John Bonniwell and rancher's daughter Eleanor Sager. After chasing the James Gang out of town, Bonniwell is appointed marshal by local bigwig Steve Barat (Albert Dekker). It turns out, however, that Barat is a crook with delusions of grandeur, hoping to use Bonniwell as a glorified henchman in his rise to power. Meanwhile, an unorthodox romantic triangle develops between Bonniwell, Eleanor as Barat's brother Jeff (Victor Jory). A powerhouse cast makes this modestly-budgeted western seem more expensive than it really was. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Jane Wyatt, (more)
- 1942
In this drama, a dedicated forest ranger begins suspecting that a recent series of fires has been caused by arson. He investigates in a neighboring town. There he meets a beautiful rich girl, and they fall in love and get married. Unfortunately, the other rangers do not react well to the female's intrusion into their domain. Meanwhile, the daughter of a lumber baron, who has always secretly loved the ranger, is deeply disturbed by the nuptials. When the fires begin running wild, the two women rally together and help. Unfortunately, they are trapped by a wildfire and the ranger must save them by parachuting into their locale. While en route, he discovers that it is the pilot of the airplane who has been setting the fires. The two get into a fight, the arsonist torches the plane and jumps, and the ranger lies unconscious on the airplane floor as it spirals into a fatal nose dive. Fortunately, he wakes up just in time to jump out. He lands near the women, and together they put out the blaze. Later they learn that the arsonist died when his chute drifted into one of the blazes he himself had set. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard, (more)
- 1942
Surprisingly little known, Universal's Men of Texas boasts an impressive cast and a fairly exciting and complex storyline. Set just after the Civil War, the film stars Robert Stack as Chicago war correspondent Barry Conovan, who is sent by his newspaper to Texas to get the low-down on the martial law that has been imposed on the state. Conovan is accompanied by Sam Sawyer (Leo Carrillo), his photographer-and never mind that newspapers didn't run photographs in 1866! Despite the good intentions of General Sam Houston (William Farnum), Texas is in the hands of carpetbaggers, scallawags and tinhorn dictators, the worst of whom is Henry Jackson (Brod Crawford), a self-styled patriot who runs his section of the territory like his own private fiefdom, with an army of outlaws at his beck and call. The plot gets even hairier when both Conovan and Jackson fall in love with Jane Baxter Scott (Anne Gwynne), whose younger brother Robert (Jackie Cooper) is a living embodiment of the ideological confusion plaguing postwar Texas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Stack, Broderick Crawford, (more)
- 1942
Bud Abbott & Lou Costello invade the wild west in Ride 'Em Cowboy. The boys play Duke and Willoughby, a couple of rodeo peanut vendors who get mixed up in the travails of western novelist Bob Mitchell (Dick Foran). Ostensibly a true Son of the Frontier, Bob has actually never been west of Brooklyn in his life. To prove that he's got the "right stuff," Bob heads to a dude ranch, where he tries to curry favor with pretty ranchowner's daughter Anne Shaw (Anne Gwynne). Meanwhile, tenderfeet Duke and Willoughby run afoul of a local Indian tribe, whose chief Jake Rainwater (Douglass Dumbrille) demands that Willoughby marry Jake's porcine daughter (Babe London). The obligatory climactic slapstick chase finds Foran teaming up with authentic westerner Alabam (Johnny Mack Brown) to foil a gang of modern-day crooks, while Duke and Willoughby do their best to elude Jake and his war-whooping braves. Not quite as consistently funny as previous Abbot & Costello efforts, Ride 'Em Cowboy suffers from a bit too much directorial interference-especially during the classic "Crazy House" routine, which is weakened by director Arthur Lubin's attempts to make it more "cinematic." Even so, the film is an enjoyable melange of comedy and music, the latter commodity provided by Dick Foran, the Merry Macs, the Hi-Hatters, the Jivin' Jacks and Jills, and even Ella Fitzgerald! Best musical number: "I'll Remember April", brilliantly sung by Foran and gorgeously photographed by John W. Boyle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1941
Originally written as a stage vehicle for corpulent character actor Macklyn Arbuckle, Ernest Day's The Roundup was first filmed in 1920 with Fatty Arbuckle (no relation) in the lead. By the time the film was remade in 1941, Arbuckle's character, a roly-poly frontier sheriff named Slim (!), was refashioned as a supporting role, with Jack Benny's radio announcer Don Wilson essaying the part. The plot, however, remained fairly intact: Upon hearing that her fiance Greg (Preston Foster) has been killed, Janet (Patricia Morison) agrees to marry rancher Steve (Richard Dix) on the rebound. On the day of the wedding, who should show up but Greg, determined to raise as much Hell as humanly possible. A rewritten finale permits the Steve-Janet-Greg triangle to resolve itself without offening the Hays Office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Patricia Morison, (more)
- 1941
Up-and-coming Universal leading man Robert Stack made his western-movie debut in Badlands of Dakota. Set in the Dakotas during the days of the Great Gold Boom, the story finds brothers Jim and Bob Holliday (Stack and Broderick Crawford) dukeing it out over the affections of pretty Anne Grayson (Ann Rutherford). While all this is going on, Wild Bill Hickok (Richard Dix) does his best to neutralize the local criminal element-and to fend off the romantic overtures of boisterous Calamity Jane (Frances Farmer). The screenplay juggles the facts a bit, concluding with Calamity performing a self-sacrificing act straight out of Destry Rides Again to save her sweetheart from harm. Just to make sure that the audience doesn't mistake Badlands of Dakota for Real Life, Hugh Herbert is on hand with his patented "Woo woo!" comedy relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Stack, Ann Rutherford, (more)
- 1941
First filmed in 1916, Peter B. Kyne's novel Parson of Panamint provided an excellent showcase for Charles Ruggles in this 1941 remake. As he looks over the dusty, deserted remains of the western "boom town" of Panamint, grizzled old prospector Chuckawalla Bill Redfield (Ruggles) recalls the town's glory days. Looming large in Chuckawalla's reminiscences is the day that young and apparently mild-mannerd minister Philip Pharo (Phillip Terry) rode into town. In his own gentle but forceful fashion, Pharo managed to bring the town's lawless element into line, mollify the local bluenoses, and win the heart of likeable dance-hall girl Mary Mallory (Ellen Drew). The highlight of a film is a tense murder trial, brought about by the killing of gambling boss and all-around villain Bob Deming (Joseph Schildkraut). Almost as easy-going as its protagonist, Parson of Panamint is a most unusual western; if it doesn't completely come off, at least it deserves an E for Effort. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlie Ruggles, Ellen Drew, (more)
When the Daltons Rode is the much-embellished tale of that celebrated outlaw family, the Daltons. Broderick Crawford, Brian Donlevy, Stu Erwin and Frank Albertson play the gunslinging brothers, with Mary Gordon on hand as Ma Dalton. In the tradition of the 1939 western Jesse James, the film whitewashes the Daltons, showing them being forced into committing their crimes by duplicitous railroad interests. There's plenty of comic banter and byplay until about twenty minutes from the end; then the film becomes a nonstop marathon of action, halted only by the Daltons' fateful (and for the most part fatal) bank robbery in Coffeyville, Kansas. Randolph Scott is the nominal hero, a lawyer who befriends the boys and tries to dissuade them from their life of crime. When the Daltons Rode ends with all four brothers dead as doornails--even though the script was based on the autobiography of the surviving Dalton! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Kay Francis, (more)
- 1940
From the same folks who brought us My Son is a Criminal comes the near-lookalike property My Son is Guilty. Veteran police patrolman Tim Kelly (Harry Carey) despairs over the antics of his ne'er-do-well son Ritzy (Bruce Cabot), who prefers to live life in the fast lane. Released from prison after getting mixed up with mob activities, Ritzy promises his dad that he'll try to reform, but before long he's back with a bad crowd, compounding his misdeeds by plotting the demise of his own father. Meanwhile, Ritzy's sweetheart Julia Allen (Jacqueline Wells) gives up on the lad entirely, preferring a much safer relationship with young author Barney (Glenn Ford, in one of his first major roles). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Cabot, Harry Carey, (more)
Man with Nine Lives (released in England as Behind the Door) is the second of Columbia's unofficial "Mad Doctor" series starring Boris Karloff. This time, Boris is obsessed with the notion that he can come up with a cure for cancer. To do this, it is necessary for Karloff to freeze his patients, then use a revolutionary new serum on the bodies while they're in a state of suspended animation. Alas, Karloff is accidentally locked up with his deep-frozen subjects. When thawed out years later, he and the patients are alive and healthy. But when Karloff learns that his formula has been destroyed, he lapses into lunacy and uses his storage-locker comrades as unwilling guinea pigs in an effort to recreate the serum. Man with Nine Lives can be considered a real (ouch!) chiller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Roger Pryor, (more)
- 1940
Trail of the Vigilantes was conceived as a straight action picture, but was reshaped during filming into a comedy western in the Destry Rides Again mode. Franchot Tone is the unlikely hero, an undercover agent sent west to halt the activities of rustler Warren William. The object of ridicule thanks to his dudelike ways, Tone makes a couple of powerful friends in the form of saloon brawlers Broderick Crawford and Andy Devine. The film proceeds in a comic vein for several reels (including setpieces featuring Mischa Auer, who'd also been in Destry) before getting down to business with a lengthy, straight-faced action finale. Trail of the Vigilantes didn't do as well as Destry Rides Again, perhaps because there was no counterpart to Destry's Marlene Dietrich (leading lady Peggy Moran is appealing, but hardly in Dietrich's league). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franchot Tone, Warren William, (more)
- 1939
Man of Conquest was the first "super production" from Republic Pictures, a studio not known for its lavish budgets. This time, however, no expense was spared in recreating the career of Texas empire-builder Sam Houston. Richard Dix portrayed Houston, heading a gigantic cast of character players impersonating such historical figures as Jim Bowie, Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett and General Santa Ana (who is depicted as a Hitler-like oppressor!). The film's two major highlights are the Battle of San Jacinto and the siege of the Alamo, both featuring the remarkable stuntwork of Yakima Canutt. Though often juggling facts to make a better story, Man of Conquest is an impressive achievement for so small a studio as Republic. Stock footage from the production would show up for years in the studio's more economical westerns and serials. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Gail Patrick, (more)
- 1939
Sad-eyed Ann Dvorak plays Jo, the "café hostess" of the title. Poor put-upon Jo doesn't know it, but she's being used by her gangster boyfriend Eddie Morgan (Douglas Fowley), who relies upon her as an alibi to cover up his recent crimes. Likeable sailor Budge (Bruce Bennett) is in love with Jo, but can't pry her loose from the possessive Mr. Morgan. This dilemma is resolved by Eddie's cast-off mistress Annie (Wynne Gibson), who resolves her problems with the business end of a revolver. It's up to detective Dan Walters (Preston Foster) to clean up the mess. Café Hostess was also released as Street of Missing Women. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bickford, Harry Carey, (more)
- 1939
Having proven their box-office value in such films as A Letter of Introduction, Goldwyn Follies and You Can't Cheat an Honest Man, ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wise-lipped dummy Charlie McCarthy were awarded with a starring vehicle of their own. While entertaining at the home of magazine publisher Court Aldrich (Samuel S. Hinds), Bergen and his "friends" Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd get mixed up in their host's murder. It seems that Aldrich was working hand in glove with gangster Tony Garcia (Harold Huber), who has kept himself busy knocking off the publisher's enemies. Could Garcia be the murderer this time as well, or was it someone else at the party? Inspector Dailey (Edgar Kennedy) wants to find out-but he doesn't want the unsolicited assistance of Charlie McCarthy, who insists upon playing Sherlock Holmes, replete with deerstalker and magnifying glass. Though essentially a "stunt" film, Charlie McCarthy, Detective pleases the crowd with an abundance of hilarious dialogue and a reasonably good mystery subplot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edgar Bergen, Robert Cummings, (more)
- 1939
A rancher and the farmer who fences in precious grasslands battle it out in this drama. The fight begins as the rancher's horses continually breach the farmer's fence and destroy his wheat fields. The irate farmer then begins shooting the rancher's horses including the rancher's beloved wild stallion, Konga. The rancher then shoots the farmer to get revenge. The feud is eventually settled when the rancher's son falls in love with the farmer's daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Stone, Rochelle Hudson, (more)
